Cipher #220 hints — Saturday, 8 August 2026
Stuck on today's wheel? Here are three nudges that get harder, then the answer at the very bottom. Nothing above the last section spoils the word.
Cryptic band — A Friday or Saturday puzzle, so expect an awkward letter or an unusual shape.
The ciphertext
This is what the board shows you before any guess. Repeated symbols mean repeated letters.
Hint 1 — The shape of it
Today's word has 5 different letters across six positions, so one letter appears twice — look at the ciphertext and you can see exactly where. The vowels sit at positions 1 and 3 and 5.
Hint 2 — Where to start
It begins with U and ends with L. If you can place either of those, the wheel hands you that mapping and the ciphertext starts reading back at you.
Hint 3 — Narrowing it down
The word contains more than one vowel and its letters are all fairly ordinary. First three letters: USE…
Show the answer to Cipher #220
The word was USEFUL.
Which means the wheel mapped U→J, S→P, E→Z, F→B, L→X.
Want to try this one yourself instead? Play #220 as practice — no hints, and it won't touch your streak.